The data: Nurses trail physicians in workplace AI adoption, with 41% regularly using AI on the job, compared with 57% of physicians, according to a new global Elsevier survey of more than 2,700 clinicians.

Nurses are also less likely to use clinician-specific AI support tools: 30% of nurse AI users report using them versus 37% of physicians.

Why it matters: Nurses outnumber doctors by four to one in the healthcare workforce and provide more hands-on patient care, making their views on AI important to broader adoption efforts.

Nurses are more optimistic than doctors about AI’s role in patient care. Despite lower adoption rates, 61% believe AI will improve care quality in the next five to 10 years, compared with 55% of physicians, per Elsevier. Another 59% think AI will improve patient outcomes, versus 53% of physicians.

But they’re less convinced AI will help their specific workflows. 55% of nurses believe AI will save them time personally, compared with 70% of physicians.

Trust remains a barrier. A recent McKinsey survey found nurses’ top AI concern is accuracy, cited by 33%, while 18% worry reduced human interaction could affect care.

Implications for healthcare systems and health tech: Healthcare organizations may struggle to scale AI effectively without nurses fully on board. The risk is fragmented clinical workflows where physicians rely on AI tools that nurses do not consistently use or trust.

For healthcare systems, this raises the importance of AI training, workflow integration, and confidence building for nursing staff. For health tech companies, it means designing AI around how nurses actually document care, communicate, and make decisions rather than building primarily for physicians.

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